Get off your horse and drink your milk. |
Yeehaw! When I first discovered Chris had never been horseback riding, I quietly put it on my short list of possible dates. Growing up, I had spent a few weeks each summers at a horse back riding camp, and I had always enjoyed equestrian activities.
Around the same time, a new member joined the Board of Peninsula Open Space Trust, where I work. Jan Garrod is a salt of the earth kind of guy, and his family, along with the Coopers, founded Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, a winery and horse camp combination in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Bingo! I knew I found the perfect place for our next adventure.
Around the same time, a new member joined the Board of Peninsula Open Space Trust, where I work. Jan Garrod is a salt of the earth kind of guy, and his family, along with the Coopers, founded Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, a winery and horse camp combination in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Bingo! I knew I found the perfect place for our next adventure.
It was a little bit of a road trip coming from the city and Chris had plenty of time to throw out guesses as we wound our way into the Saratoga Hills. Arriving at Cooper-Garrod Estate, with little girls and their ponies everywhere — it was clear — we would be on horseback for this date!
Since I let Jan know that I was coming to visit his ranch, he was kind enough to set us up with a privately guided ride and tour. We were efficiently briefed and then hopped onto our horses, “Poncho” and “Gary”. Now, these horses were definitely in retirement and weren’t going to go much faster than a slow saunter, but it was a beautiful day and we had nowhere to be.
We set out with our guide Natalie to explore the rolling hills and surrounding vineyards. As we wound through the hills, Natalie told us about the history of the winery and her deep love of horses. We were also treated to spectacular views of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area as they stretched out before us.
Back at the farm, it was time to indulge in the other big highlight at Cooper-Garrod — wine tasting! The tasting room is in a cool old barn highlighting the familie's’ history with pictures dating back to the turn of the century. (George was a test pilot for NASA and you will find a red blend wine named Test Pilot.) While we enjoyed many of the wines, the stand out was the Cabernet Franc. What a perfect way to close out a great morning!
